Hog-Tying Death Called A Homicide: Greensboro PD Releases Footage

Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan and the family of the victim Marcus Deon Smith.

Credit Jordan Green/Triad City Beat

The death of Marcus Deon Smith was declared a homicide by the state medical examiner’s office. Within hours of this news, a Guilford County superior court judge authorized the release of the camera footage from the incident, which shows Smith wandering in the street and behaving erratically and Greensboro police placing him in a controversial restraint many compare to “hog-tying.”

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Host Frank Stasio speaks with Triad City Beat Senior reporter Jordan Green about the investigation into Greensboro police use of a controversial restraint which led to the death of Marcus Deon Smith.

He was transported by EMS and died at the hospital shortly after. Triad City Beat Senior reporter Jordan Green has been following this story. He joins host Frank Stasio with an update on the officers involved in the incident, community reaction and plans by the mayor of Greensboro to give officers more resources.

A compilation of body camera footage of the incident published by the city of Greensboro:

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Two recent law enforcement interventions in Greensboro and Winston-Salem have prompted questions about police use of force. In Greensboro, Marcus Deon Smith died in the hospital hours after he was restrained by police in a position his family described as being “hogtied.” The family’s lawyer says the position left Smith unable to breathe. Smith’s family recently made a public request for Greensboro City Council members to review the police body camera footage from the incident.

Like many other law enforcement agencies around the country, the Greensboro Police Department is working to improve community relations while facing a period of heightened tension between police and the public, particularly with marginalized communities.